Introduction
Choosing the right apps is a common hurdle for Shopify merchants balancing budget, customer experience, and technical complexity. A wishlist feature can influence conversions, reduce cart abandonment, and feed remarketing, but the number of available tools makes the decision harder. This article compares two Shopify apps that claim to solve wishlist needs—Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist and Stensiled Wishlist—so merchants can decide which fits their priorities.
Short answer: Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist is a full retention platform that includes wishlist functionality alongside loyalty, referrals, reviews, and VIP tiers—making it a strong fit for stores that want one integrated retention stack and high-growth features. Stensiled Wishlist is a lightweight wishlist app focused on product saving and analytics; it suits merchants that need a simple, code-free wishlist with a low monthly cost. For merchants aiming to maximize lifetime value and reduce tool sprawl, Growave generally offers better value for money.
This post provides a detailed, objective, feature-by-feature comparison of Growave and Stensiled Wishlist, covering core features, pricing and value, integrations, customization, support, and recommended use cases. The goal is a practical assessment that helps merchants choose the right tool for retention and wishlist strategies.
Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist vs. Stensiled Wishlist: At a Glance
| Aspect | Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist | Stensiled Wishlist |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Integrated retention platform: Loyalty, Rewards, Referrals, Reviews & UGC, Wishlist | Focused wishlist tool for saving products and tracking wishlist analytics |
| Best For | Merchants who want an all-in-one retention stack and scalability (including Shopify Plus) | Merchants who want a simple, code-free wishlist with low monthly cost |
| Number of Reviews (Shopify) | 1,197 | 0 |
| Rating (Shopify) | 4.8 | 0 |
| Key Features | Loyalty programs, VIP tiers, referrals, review requests, UGC tools, wishlist, POS & checkout extensions, integrations | Save-for-later, wishlist analytics, custom icons, activity tracking, time-range filters |
| Pricing (entry-level) | Free plan; paid plans from $49/mo to $499/mo | Free basic plan; $9.99/mo paid plan |
| Notable Integrations | Klaviyo, Gorgias, Recharge, Omnisend, Shopify POS, Page Builders | None listed |
| Support & Services | 24/7 support on paid plans, CSM for Plus, onboarding services | Code-free setup; support level unspecified |
| When to Choose | When retention, reviews, referrals, and wishlist need to work together to raise LTV | When only wishlists are needed and budget is very tight |
Feature Comparison: What Each App Actually Does
Core Capabilities
Growave: Breadth of Retention Tools
Growave is positioned as a retention platform that merges multiple tools merchants typically buy separately. Key capabilities include loyalty points and rewards, VIP tiers, referral tracking, review collection and display, UGC collection, and wishlist features. The wishlist sits inside a broader ecosystem designed to convert first-time buyers into repeat customers.
- Loyalty programs with customizable earning and redemption rules.
- VIP tiers tied to purchase frequency and spend.
- Referral campaigns with fraud protection.
- Automated review request sequences and on-site review widgets.
- Wishlist with save-for-later and back-in-stock integration on higher tiers.
This breadth allows merchants to layer tactics—reward points for referrals, review collection triggered after wishlist purchases, and VIP perks for high-value wishlisters.
Stensiled Wishlist: Focused Wishlist Functionality
Stensiled Wishlist narrows scope to the wishlist use case. It provides save-for-later functionality, analytics specific to wishlist activity, icon customization, and time-range filters to monitor customer interest.
- Code-free setup for quick deployment.
- Analytics dashboard focused on wishlist adds, removals, and activity over time.
- Customizable wishlist button icons and placement.
- Save-for-later display and tracking.
This narrower feature set minimizes complexity and is attractive to merchants who only need wishlist behavior captured and analyzed.
Wishlist UX and Customer Experience
Growave
Growave’s wishlist UX is designed to integrate with loyalty and account features. Depending on plan level, wishlist functionality can connect to customer accounts, back-in-stock alerts, and email flows. This allows wishlists to act as a conversion funnel: a product added to a wishlist can trigger follow-up messages, rewards, or price-drop prompts.
Pros for customers:
- Seamless experience when already using other Growave features (loyalty, reviews).
- Account-based wishlist persistence across devices in many setups.
- Combined emails for wishlist & review campaigns on certain plans.
Cons:
- Customization depth depends on plan and theme complexity; some merchant-level work required for tailored layouts.
Stensiled Wishlist
Stensiled focuses on straightforward wishlist behavior. The interface aims for minimal friction: a recognizable icon, easy save/unsave actions, and a simple popup or page for viewing saved items.
Pros for customers:
- Fast adoption due to simple UX and code-free setup.
- Flexible icon choices to match store design.
Cons:
- Lacks deep integration with loyalty, referrals, or review triggers.
- May require additional apps to convert wishlist activity into repeat purchases.
Analytics and Reporting
Growave
Growave collects cross-functional data across loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlist events, enabling more actionable insights into how wishlist behavior ties to revenue and retention. Reporting tends to be more strategic—showing how wishlists correlate with repeat purchase rates, referral conversions, and VIP tier progression.
- Reports that combine wishlist behavior with loyalty engagement.
- Segmenting customers by wishlist activity in downstream email automation via integrations.
- Exportable data and API access on higher plans for custom reporting.
Stensiled Wishlist
The app provides detailed wishlist analytics in its dashboard: who saved which product, time-range filters, and basic usage metrics. This is useful for product interest signals but remains siloed.
- Clear visualization of wishlist adds/removals over time.
- Activity snapshots useful for merchandising decisions.
- Limited cross-data correlation without external tools.
Integrations and Ecosystem
Growave
One of Growave’s strongest advantages is the breadth of integrations with major e-commerce tooling. Built connections include Klaviyo, Omnisend, Gorgias, Recharge, page-builders, and Shopify POS. These integrations enable wishlist events to trigger email flows, support tickets, or backend automations, increasing wishlist value.
- Native integrations with popular marketing and support platforms.
- POS and checkout compatibility for unified loyalty and wishlist experiences.
- Headless and Plus features via API/SDK on enterprise plans.
Connect wishlist behavior to email automation by linking wishlist events to marketing tools, or feed review requests after wishlist purchases for social proof growth.
Stensiled Wishlist
Stensiled lists no integrations. Its value sits in being standalone and simple, but that also means merchants must build custom connections through webhooks or separate automations if they want wishlist events to power email flows or CRM actions.
- Low integration footprint simplifies setup.
- Limited ability to move wishlist events into wider marketing automation without manual steps.
Customization and Design
Growave
Growave supports theme-level customization, brandable widgets, and, on higher plans, fully custom loyalty pages and checkout extensions. It targets both merchants who prefer out-of-the-box widgets and teams that want deeper front-end tailoring.
- Customizable widget styles and copy.
- Advanced customization for headless storefronts and Shopify Plus.
- Dedicated design support on enterprise plan.
Stensiled Wishlist
Customization in Stensiled centers on icons and button appearance, aiming to match store aesthetics quickly. For merchants seeking extensive UI changes, code edits or developer help may still be needed.
- Simple controls for icon selection and position.
- Code-free setup removes friction for non-technical merchants.
- Less scope for deep layout or interaction logic changes.
Performance and Scalability
Growave
Because Growave is built as a multi-feature retention platform, latency and load are significant design considerations. On paid plans, Growave supports higher order volumes and offers tools for Shopify Plus stores. It also offers APIs and SDKs for performance-sensitive or headless implementations.
- Plan-based order limits and performance thresholds; higher plans support larger stores.
- Enterprise support and guaranteed onboarding for scaling merchants.
Stensiled Wishlist
Stensiled’s limited feature set generally means lower resource usage and a lightweight footprint. For small catalogs and modest traffic, it should be performant. The downside is that it doesn’t include scalability features that large businesses often require.
- Lightweight widget suitable for small-to-medium stores.
- No explicit Plus or enterprise-level support.
Security, Privacy, and Data Ownership
Growave
Growave’s larger set of integrations and enterprise customers implies a focus on compliance and data management. The platform offers enterprise-level support and, on higher plans, APIs that allow merchants to control and export data securely.
- Data export and import features.
- Integrations that respect common privacy frameworks through partner compliance.
Stensiled Wishlist
Stensiled is simple and stores basic wishlist events. Merchants should confirm data policies and whether wishlist datasets can be exported for use in their own analytics or marketing platforms.
- Basic data capture—confirm export options before committing.
- Good for stores that do not need complex data sharing.
Pricing & Value: Comparing Plans and ROI
Growave Pricing Overview
Growave makes a free plan available and paid plans at $49/month (Entry), $199/month (Growth), and $499/month (Plus). Higher tiers unlock features such as VIP tiers, merchant support levels, checkout extensions, headless capabilities, and dedicated success managers.
- Free: Good for testing retention basics—100 orders/month included.
- Entry ($49/mo): Adds reviews, referrals, advanced rewards, and basic integrations.
- Growth ($199/mo): Scales order capacity, adds VIP tiers, enhanced integrations.
- Plus ($499/mo): Enterprise features, API/SDK, unlimited integrations, CSM.
The pricing reflects not only wishlist functionality but a full retention toolkit. For merchants that convert spend on loyalty, referrals, and reviews into repeat revenue, the platform’s ROI can justify the cost.
Stensiled Wishlist Pricing Overview
Stensiled’s pricing is straightforward: a free Basic plan and an Advance plan at $9.99/month. Both plans advertise code-free setup, wishlist analytics, custom icons, and save-for-later features. There are no listed higher tiers, integrations, or enterprise support.
- Basic (Free): Minimal friction for stores needing only wishlist viewing and basic analytics.
- Advance ($9.99/mo): Same core features for a low monthly fee—value for stores on tight budgets.
For budgets where wishlist is the only priority, Stensiled provides excellent budgetary value. It lacks the additional revenue-driving features that would increase average order value (AOV) and lifetime value (LTV).
Value for Money: Which Delivers More Impact?
Value depends on strategic goals:
- If the objective is to nudge one-shot buyers into repeat customers, reduce churn, and consolidate vendor complexity, Growave offers more pathways to measurable LTV growth. The combined functionality—loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlist—creates multiple conversion touchpoints without integrating multiple apps.
- If the objective is a minimal-cost wishlist to capture product interest signals without broader retention work, Stensiled offers better short-term cost efficiency.
For many growing merchants, especially those looking to increase repeat purchases and simplify the app stack, Growave will deliver stronger long-term return despite a higher monthly cost.
Integrations & Technical Fit
Growave Integrations
Growave integrates with widely used e-commerce and marketing platforms. Integrations create automated flows from wishlist behaviors to email campaigns, loyalty accrual, and customer support actions.
Common integrations:
- Email & SMS: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Postscript, Attentive.
- Support & CRM: Gorgias.
- Subscription & Rebilling: Recharge.
- Page builders and mobile: Pagefly, GemPages, Shopney.
- Shopify ecosystem: POS, checkout, Shopify Flow.
Integrations allow wishlist events to be actionable—triggering review requests, back-in-stock messages, or loyalty incentives—which increases conversion potential from saved items.
Stensiled Integrations
Stensiled lists no native integrations. Its design emphasizes simplicity and independence from complex stacks. This reduces setup complexity but limits direct automation between wishlist events and marketing tools.
Consequences:
- Merchants may need additional steps to feed wishlist data into email tools.
- Manual or developer-driven solutions may be necessary for automation.
Developer-Friendliness and Headless Use
Growave offers API and SDK support on the Plus plan, catering to headless implementations and high-control storefronts. Growave is thus better suited to stores that plan heavy customization or operate on Shopify Plus.
Stensiled’s code-free model targets merchants without developer teams. For headless deployments or custom storefronts, Stensiled may not provide the necessary developer hooks.
Implementation, Onboarding, and Support
Growave Onboarding & Support
Growave’s onboarding varies by plan. Paid tiers include higher-touch support with live chat, email, and dedicated customer success for Plus customers. Growave advertises 24/7 support on some plans and rank-and-file onboarding aimed at helping merchants configure loyalty and wishlist in a way that supports growth.
- Free plan: 48hr email support.
- Entry: 24/7 email support.
- Growth/Plus: Priority support, live chat, phone, and a customer success manager on Plus.
The higher-touch support is valuable for stores that prefer guided setup and strategy alignment.
Stensiled Onboarding & Support
Stensiled emphasizes code-free setup, implying a quick launch without development resources. Support specifics are not prominent in listing data, so merchants should confirm expected SLAs and help channels before committing.
- Quick setup for non-technical merchants.
- Support channel details should be verified by merchants during trial.
Security, Data Portability, and Compliance
Both apps are expected to follow Shopify’s app requirements, but the level of enterprise compliance and data portability differs.
- Growave: Stronger focus on data exports, integrations, and API access—beneficial for compliance-conscious or enterprise merchants.
- Stensiled: Simpler data scope; verify export formats and retention policies if data portability is important.
Merchants should always confirm privacy policies and data handling practices for any app that touches customer accounts.
Use Cases and Which App Fits Best
Situations Where Growave Is a Better Fit
- Brands focused on increasing repeat purchases and lifetime value.
- Merchants who want loyalty, referrals, reviews, and wishlists to work together.
- Stores using email automation and looking to make wishlist events actionable.
- Businesses anticipating scale or with Shopify Plus needs and interest in checkout/POS integration.
- Teams that prefer consolidated vendor management and fewer single-purpose apps.
Situations Where Stensiled Wishlist Is a Better Fit
- Small stores needing a quick, low-cost wishlist without extra retention features.
- Merchants who want a code-free setup and minimal ongoing maintenance.
- Stores on strict budgets that cannot justify the additional features of an all-in-one platform.
- Shops that plan to use wishlist data only for internal reporting or manual outreach.
Pros and Cons Summary
Growave — Pros
- Integrated retention toolbox that turns wishlist signals into revenue opportunities.
- Strong ecosystem integrations with major marketing and support apps.
- Enterprise readiness with plus-level APIs, checkout extensions, and dedicated CSM.
- Strong social proof: 1,197 reviews and a 4.8 rating on the Shopify App Store.
- Scales from free plan to enterprise-level plan.
Growave — Cons
- Higher monthly cost for advanced features.
- Potential overhead for merchants who only need a simple wishlist.
- Customizations for complex storefronts may require configuration or development.
Stensiled Wishlist — Pros
- Very low cost, simple deployment.
- Focused analytics for wishlist behavior.
- Code-free setup suited for non-technical merchants.
Stensiled Wishlist — Cons
- No listed integrations to automate wishlist-driven flows.
- No reviews or ratings on the Shopify App Store (0 reviews/0 rating), limiting social proof.
- Limited roadmap visibility and minimal enterprise support.
Migration, Setup, and Practical Steps for Merchants
If Choosing Growave
- Start with the free plan to test wishlist and base retention features under real traffic.
- Map out desired automations: what should happen when a product is wishlisted? (Email nudges, back-in-stock alerts, loyalty points).
- If using Klaviyo or Omnisend, connect the integration to make wishlist events trigger flows.
- Consider the Entry plan for referral and review automations, or Growth for VIP tiers and advanced integrations.
- For large-scale or Plus storefronts, plan a technical onboarding and test checkout/POS extensions.
If Choosing Stensiled Wishlist
- Use the free plan to confirm UX and analytics meet needs.
- Confirm whether data exports are available or whether webhooks can be implemented if needed.
- For merchant workflows that require follow-up emails or marketing automation, plan for manual integrations or developer work.
- Monitor wishlist analytics to inform merchandising and restock decisions.
The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform
App fatigue is a real problem for merchants. Adding single-purpose tools for every minor feature creates maintenance overhead, potential integration conflicts, and scattered data. The cost of ownership rises not just in subscription fees but in development, troubleshooting, and the time required to manage multiple vendors.
Consolidation reduces those hidden costs. Rather than using separate apps for wishlist, loyalty, reviews, and referrals, an integrated platform reduces friction, centralizes reporting, and ensures that signals (like wishlist adds) feed directly into growth tactics.
Growave’s philosophy—More Growth, Less Stack—addresses app fatigue by combining retention features into one platform. This reduces the number of vendor relationships and makes wishlist activity immediately actionable across loyalty, email, and review flows.
- To consolidate retention features and see a clearer ROI, compare pricing tiers and feature sets to determine how many single-purpose apps would be required to match Growave’s capabilities. Merchants can see plan details and compare features on the Growave pricing page.
- For merchants comparing multiple marketplaces or looking for the app listing, the Shopify App Store entry provides app store-based installation and review context.
Growave makes specific retention modules available for targeted use. For merchants that want to reward repeat purchases, Growave provides loyalty and rewards that drive repeat purchases. For those looking to leverage customer feedback and social proof, Growave offers tools to collect and showcase authentic reviews. These modules integrate with wishlist activity so saved products can lead to review prompts, back-in-stock emails, or loyalty incentives—closing the loop between intent and revenue.
- Book a personalized demo to see how an integrated stack improves retention. (Book a personalized demo)
Growave’s pricing page helps merchants budget for consolidation and weighs the trade-offs between running multiple single-purpose apps versus an integrated solution. Merchants can evaluate the cost of separate wishlist, review, referral, and loyalty subscriptions versus one consolidated plan on the pricing overview. The Shopify App Store listing also allows merchants to compare product details and install the app directly from the store listing.
The platform is designed with Shopify Plus and high-growth brands in mind. For merchants on Plus or planning large-scale custom storefronts, Growave supports checkout and account extensions, APIs, and dedicated launch support to reduce technical friction and speed up time-to-value. More information for high-growth merchants can be found in Growave’s resources for solutions for high-growth Plus brands.
Using an integrated approach reduces data fragmentation, improves consistency of customer-facing experiences, and simplifies support. Instead of wishlist events sitting in one app and loyalty data in another, Growave links them so a saved product can be a trigger for a loyalty flow or a review request. Merchants that consolidate can also use customer stories and inspiration from other brands to inform setup and strategy—these examples show real implementations and outcomes in Growave’s customer inspiration pages.
When comparing Growave’s wishlist capabilities to a focused wishlist tool, the key difference is not just features but the ability to turn a saved-product signal into a revenue-driving action. For example, wishlist adds can feed review prompts when a purchase occurs, or unlock loyalty points when a wishlist item is purchased—creating measurable lift in repeat purchases. For merchants evaluating consolidation, it is useful to review the loyalty and rewards product page and the reviews and UGC page to understand the potential cross-feature synergies.
Repeated references to the Growave App Store listing are useful for merchants who want to see community feedback and the step-by-step install process. The app store entry is also a place to validate compatibility with existing storefronts and the quick technical checklist for installation.
Implementation Checklist: What To Ask Before Installing
- What is the strategic goal for the wishlist? (increase LTV, reduce churn, gather product interest)
- Will wishlist events need to trigger marketing automations (email/SMS) or support flows?
- Does the store need POS or checkout compatibility for wishlist and loyalty?
- How much customization is required for UI and brand experience?
- What level of support is required—self-serve or dedicated success management?
- How does the monthly cost compare to the combined cost of single-purpose apps?
Answering these clarifies whether the merchant should opt for a focused, low-cost wishlist or an integrated retention platform.
Realistic Expectations and Common Pitfalls
- Expect some configuration time when moving from a single-purpose wishlist to a multi-feature platform. Full value comes when wishlist data is connected to loyalty and email triggers.
- Don’t assume free plans will scale smoothly with the store. Many free tiers have order or feature caps that will necessitate plan upgrades.
- Verify integration compatibility with critical systems (email, subscriptions, support) before committing to a paid plan.
- Avoid stacking too many apps without a data strategy; multiple apps capturing the same event create reconciliation headaches.
Conclusion
For merchants choosing between Growave: Loyalty & Wishlist and Stensiled Wishlist, the decision comes down to strategic goals and scale. Stensiled Wishlist is a sensible, low-cost solution for stores that only need a basic wishlist and simple analytics. Growave is more appropriate for merchants who want wishlist behavior to become a revenue signal—feeding loyalty, referral, and review workflows that drive repeat purchases and higher lifetime value.
Choosing an integrated platform reduces the hidden costs of multiple single-purpose apps and makes wishlist events actionable across marketing and customer engagement. For merchants ready to move beyond isolated wishlist tracking and build a retention strategy, Growave offers a consolidated approach that simplifies operations while unlocking growth opportunities. Start a 14-day free trial on Growave to see how an integrated retention stack improves customer lifetime value. (Compare plans and start a trial)
Additional references for merchants evaluating consolidation:
- Explore how to consolidate retention features and pricing on the Growave pricing page.
- Review the app listing for installation details and community feedback on the Shopify App Store.
FAQ
Q: Which app is easier to install and manage for a non-technical merchant? A: Stensiled Wishlist emphasizes code-free setup and simple management, making it easier for merchants with no developer resources. Growave also provides straightforward installation, but full value often requires connecting integrations and configuring loyalty and review flows, which can require more setup time.
Q: How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps? A: An all-in-one platform centralizes data and automations so wishlist activity can trigger loyalty rewards, review requests, and email follow-ups without additional connectors. Specialized apps are lighter and cheaper upfront but often require extra apps or engineering to get the same cross-functional impact.
Q: Which app offers more long-term value for increasing repeat purchases? A: Growave provides more tools aimed at improving repeat purchases and lifetime value—including loyalty, VIP tiers, referral programs, and review automation—making it more likely to deliver long-term revenue uplift when used strategically.
Q: Can wishlist events trigger marketing automations with both apps? A: Growave integrates with major email and SMS platforms, enabling wishlist events to feed automated flows. Stensiled does not list integrations; merchants would need to confirm export or webhook options to automate wishlist-driven campaigns.







